Gundam puts Bandai in Franchise Heaven
The studio that brought us Ghost in the Shell and Cowboy Bebop rests on the laurels of the beloved mecha series.
Home video sales of Mobile Suit Gundam have topped 11.9 million in Japan, making Gundam the leading selling for Banda Visual in Japan. The company updated its investor relations FAQ recently with the following information (current as of February 2007):
Franchise--First Video Release--Copies Sold in Millions
Mobile Suit Gundam--December 1987--11.90
Ultraman--January 1988--5.78
Mobile Police Patlabor--April 1988--1.70
Ghost in the Shell--March 1996--1.70
Cowboy Bebop--October 1998--0.95
Mobil Suit Gundam debuted in the U.S. in July of 2001 on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. The show was not popular among fans who had been used to the more modern animation of Gundam Wing and the Mobile Suit was pulled following the attacks of September 11, 2001 along with many other “war themed” cartoons. Mobile Suit Gundam, like Cowboy Bebop, got a second chance in June of 2002 with Cartoon Network, but was again pulled from the lineup before it’s completion due to poor ratings. Episode 15 (the “lost episode”) has never appeared in the U.S.